One evening, her ex, Ricardo Salas, appeared at her door.
“I’ve been hearing things,” he said with a crooked smile. “You’re playing mother for another man?”
Natalia stared at him.
“Yes,” she said calmly. “I am.”
Ricardo’s expression hardened. “Careful. That house isn’t fully yours. I’m still on the paperwork. Maybe it’s time to sell.”
The threat hit harder than the gossip.
After he left, a legal notice arrived.
He was forcing the sale.
Natalia sat at her kitchen table, the paper trembling in her hands.
Then her phone buzzed.
¿Vienes? Sofía está llorando.
Are you coming? Sofía is crying.
She closed her eyes.
Even when the world collapsed, a baby still needed to eat.
When Mateo saw her face that day, he knew something was wrong.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Ricardo wants the house,” she admitted.
Mateo went still.
He looked at Sofía asleep in Natalia’s arms.
Then at the photo of Isabella on the mantel.
“I won’t let him,” he said.
“You can’t stop him,” Natalia replied. “It’s legal.”
Mateo’s voice turned steady. “Isabella had life insurance. It was meant for Sofía.”
Natalia shook her head immediately. “No. That’s her future.”
“And you,” Mateo said quietly, “are part of that future.”
She stared at him.